Another Track Day - Part 2

Here are the rest of the pics and story of the track day....

I'm not a morning person, but there is something special about waking up early and either going riding or diving. The sun is just rising and there is a calm before the storm if you will. Although in this case the wind was already upon us, and a handful of fires at this point.

After we got our pit set up, got our bikes inspected and attended the riders meeting. We had some time to kill before our 1st session on the track. And this is when the nervousness and jitters set in. I love it.

All week long I knew it was going to be windy on our track day and I was wondering how bad it was going to be. Surprisingly I really only felt the wind when riding, on the back straight. On the front straight you were riding with the wind, so you really didn't notice it. The rest of track is pretty tight and twisty so it wasn't a huge factor. Only on the back straight when the wind was coming at you sideways, could you feel your bike moving around a bit. And it just so happens that is also the fastest part of the track for me.

The 1st track day we did there were 2 crashes. Today, I don't know if it was the wind or full moon, but there were 8 or 9 crashes. Most of them were in level 2 and a few in level 3 and none were in level 1. Thankfully no one was seriously injured.

Randy and I weren't not the fastest ones in level 1 but I think after a few more track days we will be ready to bump up to level 2.

One of the cool things about a track day is, you never know what kind of bikes you will see there.

Why don't they have umbrella girls at track days?

Overall it was a great day and I cant wait to get back out on the track again.

And the aftermath....

Who says all Multistradas have chicken strips?

But one of the major downside of a Strada on the track, is its low ground clearance.

But who needs a rear break pedal anyways?

Another Track Day

Despite the wind, fires and ash that all of California had last week, Randy and I went to our 2nd track day. We booked it several months ago (thanks again Mike) and had no idea of the devastation was about to hit California the night we drove up to Lancaster. We drove right by one of the fires on Sunday night, and from the track we could see the smoke. Its hard to believe how much of California burned last week. Several of my family members had to evacuate their homes. But luckily no permanent damage and they are all safe.

The 1st time around we went thru the novice riding school and we learned a ton. This time around we just rode in level 1. Right away I noticed how much my riding has changed since the 1st time on the track back in April. It was night and day. And by the 2nd session of the day, I was getting my knees down. Something that I have always wondered how scary it would be and what it would feel like. And after you do it once, it becomes another level of addiction in the world of motorcycles.

It was a slower more relaxed pace, not having to go into class right after a riding session. But I was still trying to remember and work on everything I learned in the riding school. One thing for sure is that my lines and body position were much better since the 1st track day.

Since Mike wasn't here this time, we didn't have someone to take pictures all day. Although Randy and I both sat out different sessions to take pictures of the other person. I am still sorting thru all those. All of the pictures posted here were taken from the Brian at Cali Photography.

I will be posting more photos later.

A change of name

I first started this blog so that I could post pictures and stories from my last trip to Australia. Never having a blog before, I didn't know what to call it. So out of haste I picked "The Adventures of Jeff". I never liked the title, it was a bit too narcissistic. But then again so are blogs in general.

Anyways I finally changed the title to something that was a better representation of what this blog has become. Stories and pictures from on the road with my trusty Ducati and underwater with a Nikon D40.

Italian Bike Night

Another night, another season comes to an end. The Orange County Ducati Club hosted its last IBN of 2007 on Wednesday in its usual spot of the parking lot of Paradiso Gelato in Newport


It was a great turn out. By far there was the most bikes and people I have seen at an IBN. With free pizza and drinks, they came in droves.


The Red Bull Girls were there handing out free Red Bull


Even SuperBikes host Jason Britton was there hanging out.

He rode in on a Aprilia instead of his usual GXR. What a freakin cool guy, you could just walk up to him and start shooting the shit about bikes or whatever.

Also on display was a custom bike built by Roland Sands.


And now we enter the winter hiatus. But with track days and other riding days ahead, I plan to keep the tires warm and kickstand up.

For more pics of the night go here

Reflections in the water

When I was two I drowned
The gate was left open
I didnt know what water could do
No one knows how long I floated there
Long enough
My Dad brought me back to life
I wish I could remember that day
My family does

The next day I talked to Grandma
Told her “I want to learn how to swim,
I already know how to drown”
Logic of a two year old

Ever since, I have been in love
In love with the water
Any water
Pool, pond, lake or ocean
Better than any dream I ever had

When I was five
I scuba dived for the 1st time
In the same pool
3 feet underwater for 5 minutes
This time I can remember

Diving has taken me around the world
To places I couldn’t spell
Languages I can’t speak
Met life long friends
Some changed my life forever

Thirty odd years later I’m still wondering
What would my life be today
If I didn’t drown that day.

A Honda, a Duc, a Hog and a Beemer

One of the things that I love about riding, is that if it has 2 wheels, you can ride with it.

Last weekend I went on a ride with 3 of my good friends up to Morro Bay. All 4 of us have different bikes, different riding styles, but all of us have the love for a good ride. Even though we are not always in sight of each other while on the road, we always talk about where the next stop is and we will meet there.

On the longer straights or unfamiliar rodes I stick close to John and his Honda, while Bill with his Beemer and Tom with his Harley trail behind. But once we hit the twisties, I'm off. Head down and heart rate up. They know I'll stop at the next change in route, or I'll pull off on the side of the road and take pics of them as they ride by. Hop on my bike and catch back up to them.

It was a perfect weekend for a ride. A little cold on some parts but not too much. Hardly any traffic on the route we took. There were stretches when I was ahead of the rest of the group and I would not see another car for miles and miles. And I got the feeling, I was the only person on the road, the only motorcycle on the planet. Losing and finding myself with every inch of tarmac that blurred by me in slow motion at high speed. In short the ride was therapeutic.

No journey is perfect if it is perfect. Getting lost or some type of problem usually makes me smile and appreciate being on the road even more. We didn't get lost but my chain decided that it had had enough and it was on its last run with me. Luckily Tom carried and large enough crescent wrench with him so I could loosen the axle nut and tighten the chain. Every stop I would check the tension, and I think I had to adjust the chain 4 times over the 2 days.

Once we got to Morro Bay, JD drove up from Nipomo to have dinner with us. It was good seeing him as always. A great day of riding followed by dinner and a few beers with good friends is something that if everyone did, the world would be a better place.

Here are the rest of the pics from the trip.

ScubaLabs Fin Test

This months issue of ScubaDiving magazine features the article on the Fin Test we did back in May in Bonaire. It covers the 18 pairs of fins we tested for a week in Bonaire. If you are thinking about getting a new pair of fins or if you are wondering how your fins rank with other pairs of fins, I encourage you to pick it up. The article includes all the hard data from the numbers we recorded thru our series of test, as well as comments from the testers on how they felt about the fins. Some fins might surprise you on how they did and some might reinforce what you already knew.


Also on the ScubaDiving's website they posted a video of a behind the scenes of how we spent the week. And for more info on the tests, Capt Don's Habitat and the island of Bonaire you can see more here.